Jon Stewart apologizes to Phillie Phanatic

A day after Jon Stewart jokingly bashed cheesesteaks, the Phillie Phanatic and everything Philadelphia, he apologized to the Phillies mascot on last night's "The Daily Show."

Stewart went on a caricatural anti-Philadelphia rant Tuesday during a segment about how Philadelphia Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg came down with food poisoning from a Shake Shack hamburger bought at Citi Field, the New York Mets stadium in Queens, N.Y.

As a lifelong Mets fan, Stewart took the opportunity to roast Philadelphia. And it was so brutally over the top that even proud Philadelphians, who Stewart called "Liberty Bell-worshiping f--ks," had to laugh.

"What kind of city takes parts of the cow that normal people throw away, fries it up on a hunk of bread and before they can call it their signature dish, asks, 'Do you want me to put Whiz on that?' I'll tell you: A city so f--king dumb that it uses its art museum as exercise equipment."

Then it was time for the Phantic to take his lumps:

"It's a city so famously sh--ty, no animal would represent its baseball team, forcing you to go with this f--ked up Jim Henson reject lookin' piece of s--t."

And to round out the attack, Philadelphia Cream Cheese got the Don Rickles treatment:

"What city is so insecure it has to put its name on cream cheese? Cream cheese: A dish that makes itself if you leave milk out."

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(Photo: News Journal file)

Last night, Stewart opened "The Daily Show" by trying to atone for his sins and said he was sorry.

"Off the top, last night I may have inadvertently made some derogatory remarks towards Philadelphia Phillies manager Ryne Sanberg and the entire city of Philadelphia. And while a city that famously booed and threw snowballs at Santa Claus may deserve some shade, I hurt some people I care about very much, including one Phillip E. Phantic. Phillie, they call him.

"Obviously there is no reason to rehash who called who a 'f--ked up Jim Henson reject looking piece of s--t.' The point is it was said -- most likely by the one of us who doesn't have a blow tickler in place of a functioning larynx."

Stewart, who spent a summer or two in Dewey Beach during his college years, concluded by saying, "I apologize if I offended Mr. Phanatic. I know how difficult your life has been since that sex tape came out."

This image of the Phanatic in a compromised position with Miami Marlins mascot Billy the Marlin and St. Louis Cardinals mascot Fredbird then flashed on the screen: